Home Podcasts Wild Ideas Worth Living
Wild Ideas Worth Living

Wild Ideas Worth Living

REI Co-op 420 Episodes Jul 21, 2026

High-impact interviews for those who love adventure and the outdoors. Host and journalist Shelby Stanger interviews world-class explorers, athletes, authors, scientists, health experts and entrepreneurs about how they’ve taken their own wild ideas and made them a reality, so you can too. Some of the wildest ideas can lead to the most rewarding adventures.

Episodes

Setting Ultramarathon Records at 75 Years Old with Michael Koppy
Setting Ultramarathon Records at 75 Years Old with Michael Koppy Jul 21, 2026 00:30:51 Michael Koppy is a 75-year-old ultrarunner and retired engineering professor from northern Minnesota who is still breaking records in endurance sports. Over the past decade, he's completed two fastest known times (FKTs) and continues to compete in some of the country's most demanding ultramarathons. In 2026, he became the oldest person to finish the Arrowhead 135, one of the toughest winter ultram
Slacklining Around the World with Breannah Yeh
Slacklining Around the World with Breannah Yeh Jul 14, 2026 00:26:47 Breannah Yeh is a slackliner, highliner, and content creator who has spent the last six years dedicated to life on the line. Whether she's landing tricks on a slackline in Los Angeles or walking highlines suspended thousands of feet above the ground, Breannah brings a joyful and creative approach to a sport that demands intense focus and balance. Through her videos, she shares the challenges and r
How to Pace an Ultramarathon Runner with Lisa Jhung
How to Pace an Ultramarathon Runner with Lisa Jhung Jul 7, 2026 00:23:49 Lisa Jhung is a writer, trail runner, and ultramarathon pacer who first began pacing runners more than 25 years ago. Drawn to the challenge and camaraderie of endurance sports, she's helped athletes through some of the most demanding miles of their lives. What keeps her returning to the trail is the opportunity to support someone else's big goal and be part of their journey to the finish line. Con
First Woman to Walk the Length of the Americas with Lucy Barnard
First Woman to Walk the Length of the Americas with Lucy Barnard Jun 30, 2026 00:29:01 Lucy Barnard is an Australian adventurer walking the length of the Americas, a years long expedition from Argentina to Alaska she began in 2017. Along the way, she adopted a blue heeler named Wombat, and together they navigate deserts, mountains, jungles, and remote terrain on foot. By 2026, Lucy had reached northern British Columbia, steadily continuing north toward Alaska. Connect with Lucy: 
Kayaking 310 Miles Down the Klamath River with Tasia Linwood
Kayaking 310 Miles Down the Klamath River with Tasia Linwood Jun 23, 2026 00:24:00 On June 12, 2025, 15 year old Tasia Linwood set out to kayak 310 miles down the Klamath River, from southern Oregon to the coast of northern California. She went with several other young Indigenous kayakers, from different tribes who live along the river. Their journey marked the first descent of the Klamath after the removal of four dams, which her community had fought for for decades. Connect wi
Biking Across Every Continent with Liam Garner
Biking Across Every Continent with Liam Garner Jun 16, 2026 00:28:46 Liam Garner is a long distance cyclist who set out at 17 to bike from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, completing nearly 20,000 miles and becoming the youngest person to ride the length of the Americas. Now, Liam is continuing his global cycling journey, riding roughly 15,000 miles from Portugal through Europe, the Middle East, and Asia toward Singapore as part of his goal to bike across
How to Talk to Trees with Lindsay Branham
How to Talk to Trees with Lindsay Branham Jun 9, 2026 00:25:15 Lindsay Branham is an environmental psychologist exploring how we build deeper, more reciprocal relationships with nature. Her work invites us to go beyond simply spending time outside and consider what it might look like to truly listen and even communicate with trees. Connect with Lindsay:  Website  Instagram Purchase Lindsay's book, Heartwood: The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees  Thank
Finding Purpose in Endurance Running with Yassine Diboun
Finding Purpose in Endurance Running with Yassine Diboun Jun 2, 2026 00:29:19 Yassine Diboun is a Portland-based ultrarunner and coach who found endurance sports during recovery from addiction. After signing up for his first triathlon in 2004 to bring structure to his life, he discovered a talent for running that quickly evolved into a career in ultramarathons. Since then, he has become one of the sport’s most respected athletes, with top 10 finishes at Western States 100,
Training Tips for Your Next Adventure with Joe Holder
Training Tips for Your Next Adventure with Joe Holder May 26, 2026 00:21:30 Joe Holder is a Nike Master Trainer and GQ fitness columnist with a track record of coaching elite athletes and high profile clients. Grounded in a background in health and wellness, he brings a practical approach to endurance training and overall fitness. His work spans marathon training, thru hike preparation, and strategies to support long term health and performance. Connect with Joe:  Insta
Rowing Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean with Taryn Smith
Rowing Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean with Taryn Smith May 19, 2026 00:26:29 In January 2026, Taryn Smith became the third American woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, completing a 46 day Atlantic Ocean crossing in open water conditions. With no rowing experience beforehand, she leaned on a foundation built through world travel, the New York City Marathon, and summers exploring Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. Website Instagram Thank you to our sponsors:  Capital
Swimming 140 Mies Across Lake Powell with Shane Schieffer
Swimming 140 Mies Across Lake Powell with Shane Schieffer May 12, 2026 00:30:26 Shane Schieffer is an endurance swimmer who spent more than 15 years dreaming of a full length swim of Lake Powell, the desert reservoir stretching from Utah into Arizona. In September 2025, he became the first person to complete it, covering 140 miles in 11 days while towing 215 pounds of gear. The route carried him through a remote landscape of sand colored canyons, rock formations, and isolated
Thru-hiking The Appalachian Trail with 15 Kids with Nikki Bettis
Thru-hiking The Appalachian Trail with 15 Kids with Nikki Bettis May 5, 2026 00:27:54 Nikki Bettis turned a simple hike on the Appalachian Trail into an audacious plan to thru hike the entire trail with her fifteen kids, ranging in age from 4 to 21. As a single mom in rural Virginia facing financial and emotional strain, Nikki hoped the physical challenge and months spent outdoors together could help her family reconnect and find a way forward. Connect with Nikki:  Website Insta

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